The executive order was released on the one-year anniversary of Belarus’ election, which was declared fraudulent by the United States and much of the international community and sparked widespread protests throughout the country.
“One year ago today, the people of Belarus sought to make their voices heard and shape their own future through that most basic expression of democracy — an election,” Biden said in a statement Monday. “Rather than respect the clear will of the Belarusian people, the Lukashenka regime perpetrated election fraud, followed by a brutal campaign of repression to stifle dissent.”
“The United States will continue to stand up for human rights and free expression, while holding the Lukashenka accountable, in concert with our allies and partners. Toward that end, today, we are issuing a new Executive Order that enhances our ability to impose costs on the regime and announcing new sanctions against Belarusian individuals and entities for their role in attacks on democracy and human rights, transnational repression, and corruption,” he said.
“As I told the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, we stand with the people of Belarus as they bravely pursue their democratic aspirations,” the President said.
Tsikhanouskaya, who met with Biden last month, said Monday she appreciated the US’ decision “to expand sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime.”
“Though sanctions are not a silver bullet, they are designed to push the regime towards…
